WATERVILLE — Waterville Creates! partners are planning activities to honor veterans starting with Maine Craft Weekend celebrations Friday, Oct. 2, through Sunday, Oct. 4, where up to 70 free tickets are available to veterans for the Kevin Libby concert Oct. 3. The organization recently received a grant from the Unity Foundation, according to a Waterville Creates! news release.
“Our Programming and Marketing Committee recently decided to focus attention on activities that honor and benefit veterans in some way as part of our collaborative programming. With the help of this grant from the Unity Foundation several partners are planning activities starting with Maine Craft Weekend celebrations October 2-4. Many of our events are already available at no cost, but other events are offering discounts, no cost tickets to veterans and/or are being especially designed for veterans,” Nate Rudy, executive director of Waterville Creates!, said in the release.
“It is not only part of our mission to promote strong, sustainable nonprofits serving Maine communities, it is a great pleasure to support efforts to honor veterans as part of the cultural activities planned by Waterville Creates! this fall. Veterans are a very important part of our community and these efforts will, in part, help to honor them and thank them for their service over the years.” Unity Foundation CEO, Larry Sterrs, said in the release.
A partial listing of activities planned include:
• Free tickets for the first 70 veterans who wish to attend the Kevin A. Libby concert at the Waterville Opera House on Oct. 3. Tickets are available on a first-call basis by calling the Opera House at 873-7000.
• No cost children’s activities to military families at Harvest Fest at Head of Falls Park on Oct. 4 for those who preregister by calling Waterville Main Street at 680-2055.
• The Waterville Public Library will host a World War II Grave Rubbing event from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Oct. 18. Contact the Library at 680-2611 for more information.
• The Waterville Public Library also will host a card making event for those who wish to “bring love and make a card to send thanks to members of the Armed Forces and their families” from noon to 3 p.m. Oct. 24 at the Fireplace Room; materials will be provided.
• The library is planning an exhibit of local World War II Veterans from Nov. 7 to Dec. 31 in the Fourth Floor Carnegie Art Gallery.
• Also at the Waterville Public Library, Morgan Rielly, author of “Neighborhood Heroes,” will host “Veteran Stories.” She and other presenters will share memories of WWII and other wars. Posters, statistics and memorabilia will be on display from noon to 3 p.m.
• Colby College will present “Theater of War” at 2 p.m. Nov. 15 at Page Commons. The dramatic readings of Sophocles’ Ajax — a Greek tragedy about the suicide of a great, respected warrior — to diverse military and civilian audiences in order to engage communities in powerful town hall discussions about the visible and invisible wounds of war. The presentations are intended to foster understanding and compassion, while mobilizing citizens and resources to help improve the lives of service members, veterans, their families, and people in their communities. Following the readings, brief comments from a community panel will be made, and then the floor will be opened for what it hoped to be a lively audience discussion. The readings are cosponsored by the Center for the Arts and Humanities, Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement, the Department of Theater and Dance, and Colby Health Center.
For more information, visit watervillecreates.org.
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